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Abstract—This paper presents an interactive module for and learning activities. Although many interactive tools have
learning both the fundamental and practical issues of servo been developed for general topics in control education [6]–[9],
systems. This module, developed using Simulink in conjunction interactive tools focusing on servo systems are practically
with the Matlab graphical user interface (Matlab-GUI) tool, is
used to supplement conventional lectures in control engineering nonexistent.
and robotics subjects. First, the paper introduces the theoretical There are several works in the literature that deal with the use
background of servo systems. Then, the interactive module is of Matlab/Simulink for servo systems simulations for educa-
presented, with a description of its main features as well some tional purposes [10]–[13], but the tools presented in these works
hints on how to integrate Simulink models within Matlab-GUI. lack interactivity. The Matlab Central File Exchange [14] is also
Some of the module’s capabilities are illustrated through class-
room examples. Finally, the experience of putting this into use and used as a source to search for servo systems educational tools.
student assessment of the tool are also addressed. Several excellent demonstrations can be found, but none of them
meet the criteria for simulating practical aspects of servo sys-
Index Terms—Control engineering, dc motor, interactive tools,
Matlab/Simulink, motion control, servo systems. tems. It is also worth mentioning the use of remote laboratories,
where dc motors are successfully integrated in remote exper-
imentation platforms [15], [16]. However, remote experimen-
I. INTRODUCTION tation is currently limited to performing simple experiments,
and topics such as the effects of disturbances, antiwindup, or
feed-forward, are not considered.
S ERVO systems play an important role in industry. They are
found in most automated manufacturing systems, machine
tools, and robotic systems, to cite a few examples. Servo systems
The development of the module presented in this paper
is based on Simulink models used in combination with the
fundamentals have become an integral part of industrial elec- Matlab graphical user interface (Matlab-GUI). The choice of
tronics and other related fields in engineering, such as the elec- the Matlab platform is due to the fact that it is by far more
trical or computer disciplines. Servo systems topics should be productive than many other high-level programming languages.
extended to all engineering curricula [1]. It is therefore a major Simulink, on the other hand, is used to easily model and
challenge to ensure that every future engineer should be familiar simulate a variety of systems using intuitive block diagrams.
with servo systems and be able to analyze and control them. Wrapping Simulink models within Matlab-GUI is advanta-
A direct-current-controlled motor (dc motor) is considered to geous and improves interactivity. This feature allows users
be the simplest form of a servo system and is used as a starting to change parameters and view simulations without having to
point for understanding all other electric machines. Control of deal directly with Simulink blocks. Indeed, Matlab includes a
dc motors is widely taught in control engineering and robotics built-in tool called GUIDE, which permits developers to design
courses and is commonly used in laboratory experiments as pro- GUIs for Matlab applications.
viding an excellent case study. The importance of the mate- The remainder of the paper is organized as follows. Section II
rial is well evidenced in many textbooks [2]–[5]. However, in presents the objectives and scope of the tool. Section III gives
most of these texts, servo system problems are highly simplified some theoretical background on servo systems. Section IV de-
for pedagogical purposes, and the given examples focus on the scribes the interactive module and shows how Simulink models
linear parts and do not take into account practical issues such as can be integrated within an interactive Matlab-GUI. Section V
compliance coupling, trajectory generation, the windup effect, describes usage experiences and gives some classroom exam-
feed-forward compensation, or torque limitation. ples. Section VI describes the methodology used in evaluation
This paper presents an interactive learning module focused and discusses the results obtained. Finally, Section VII con-
exclusively on servo systems. It is aimed at bridging the gap cludes the paper.
between theoretical background and experimentation, pro-
viding insight into fundamental concepts. The tool is based II. OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE
on exploiting interactivity as a pedagogical basis in teaching
In the author’s institution, servo systems topics are an integral
part of undergraduate control engineering and robotics courses.
Manuscript received July 14, 2008; revised January 21, 2009. First published This part of the material examines servo systems principles, pro-
July 21, 2009; current version published May 05, 2010. viding students with modeling techniques for dc motors, the
The author is with the Departamento de Arquitectura de Computadores y formulation of the control problem, and an introduction to the
Automática, Universidad Europea de Madrid (UEM), Villaviciosa de Odón,
Madrid 28670, Spain (e-mail: nourdine.aliane@uem.es). basic treatment of feedback design. The theoretical background
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TE.2009.2014468 is supplemented with hands-on laboratory work. The laboratory
0018-9359/$26.00 © 2009 IEEE
266 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION, VOL. 53, NO. 2, MAY 2010
The fourth group allows the simulation of the effect of exoge- a Simulink block that contains a compiled Matlab code. Un-
nous factors such as external disturbances and noise measure- like “Matlab function blocks,” which accept multiple inputs and
ments. The fifth group lets users save and retrieve simulations, support only a single scalar output, the functions in “embedded
which is particularly useful for drawing straightforward com- Matlab function blocks” allow multiple inputs and return mul-
parisons between different scenarios. Finally, as well as visu- tiple outputs.
alizing velocity, position, induced current, and voltage input,
some performance measures, such as the integral of squared V. CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE
error (ISE) and the overshoot, are also displayed. The tool was used during the 2006–2007 and 2007–2008 aca-
The design of the Matlab-GUI is easy using the Matlab demic years at Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spain, in con-
GUIDE. This toolkit is opened by entering the command trol engineering and robotics subjects, providing the instructor
“ ” in the command line. Then, images of all the with a valuable supplement to lectures by projecting the module
elements (sliders, axes plotting, etc.) are dragged out, and the screenshots. The first advantage of the tool presented here is that
user writes their respective callback functions. The reader can it allows the instructor to set up simulations with minimum ef-
go further with the help of the Matlab-GUI manuals. fort, which obviously helps him to maintain the flow of the lec-
The Simulink block diagram implementing the whole servo ture and allows him to pose different cases quickly in response
systems simulation is shown in Fig. 3. Interfacing Simulink to the students’ questions. The module proved to be an effec-
models with Matlab GUI applications is easy but not trivial tive instrument to facilitate teaching since the interactive nature
operation. The control of Simulink models can be performed of the module helps to draw comparisons between simulations,
through suitable Matlab commands. Simulink blocks can be ac- explore the effect of varying parameters, and give explanations
cessed and their parameters changed by using the “set_param()” through “what if” scenarios.
function. Alternatively, the communication between Simulink The learning module was also used by approximately 35 stu-
models and Matlab-GUI can be performed by using variables dents in the classroom, following guided exercises. These ex-
defined in the main workspace. These two mechanisms are also ercises were focused on students getting a feel for the qualita-
valid for specifying other Simulink parameters such as sample tive aspects of servo systems, having them explore what would
time or time simulation through the GUI. Lastly, a Simulink happen if a given parameter were increased or decreased. The
simulation can be run by using the “sim()” function. quantitative aspects were not emphasized as much. For example,
As far as the trajectory generator is concerned, this is im- students are asked to undertake the problem of position con-
plemented as an “embedded Matlab function block,” which is trol and tracking trajectories. After a review of the PID con-
268 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION, VOL. 53, NO. 2, MAY 2010
Fig. 3. Simulink block diagrams. (a) General structure for servo systems simulation. (b) The controller subsystem: the PID, antiwindup, and feed-forward.
troller, students are asked to tune the controller through a trial To foster interest in the use of the tool, a comprehensive tu-
and error process, taking advantage of the interactivity of the torial, providing a number of handouts on classroom activities
tool. As a first step, students use proportional action (P) and ex- was also developed [22]. This tutorial starts with an introduc-
amine steady-state error. Next, they introduce the integral ac- tory level on modeling techniques and goes into more detail on
tion (I) to see how the steady-state error is eliminated. Finally, using the PID controller, antiwindup, feed-forward, and trajec-
the derivative action (D) is activated to increase the dumping of tory generation. It provides a total of 10 guided examples; some
the system. Robustness is also an important aspect in servo sys- are projected as demonstrations during lectures, while others are
tems. In another exercise, simulations are performed to assess developed as exercises and as a basis for group discussion on
control strategy with respect to external disturbances, consid- more in-depth theoretical topics.
ering cases where a motor is holding a final position and a distur-
bance is applied to its shaft. Thanks to the module’s interactivity, A. Classroom Examples
many other concepts such as flexible coupling, antiwindup and
feed-forward corrections, or the use of S-curve references are Many are the classroom activities that can be performed by
presented with animated graphs examining the effects of some the tool presented. This subsection shows three classroom ex-
parameters. These exercises are solved in group, and the use of amples that illustrate the module’s capabilities. Although these
the interactive tool provides an excellent context for provoking examples do not fully exploit all of the tool’s features, they il-
discussions and reflections. lustrate some important aspects of servo systems.
ALIANE: A MATLAB/SIMULINK-BASED INTERACTIVE MODULE FOR SERVO SYSTEMS LEARNING 269
Fig. 4. Step responses of a dc motor with rigid and flexible coupling (k = 0:7).
Fig. 6. Illustration of a parabolic velocity move profile with and without feed-
forward. (P = 12:6, I = 0:5, D = 4:25, Kv = 4:95, Ka = 0:85, T = 2).
TABLE I
STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE. THE NUMBERS REPRESENT THE MEAN AND THE STANDARD DEVIATION OF STUDENTS’ RESPONSES.
THE GRADING SCALE IS 1 (LOW), 2, 3, 4, AND 5 (HIGH)
as learning outcomes. The interview consisted of discussing a students agreed that the tool helped them to understand servo
set of open-ended questions with the students, raising two pri- systems problems, and many of them felt that the interactive
mary issues: the usability of the module and its effectiveness module was an effective learning medium.
in learning. After the discussion, students were asked to give
an evaluation (from 1 to 5) for each of the discussed questions.
VII. CONCLUSION
The assessment was conducted with two groups (a control en-
gineering class and robotics class) during the second (Spring) In this paper, the development of a Matlab/Simulink-GUI ap-
2007 semester. In all, 34 students took part in the interview. The plication for servo systems learning is described, and its use in
students’ questionnaire and corresponding evaluations are sum- the classroom is also addressed. The tool exposes students to
marized in Table I. servo systems concepts and allows them to experience a variety
of practical scenarios. Its principal feature is that it dramati-
B. Results and Discussion cally reduces the effort needed to specify simulations. It also
allows students to explore the effects of varying parameters and
Concerning the usability of the module, students were recep- instantly observe their influence on the system’s behavior. In-
tive to using the new tool. The majority agreed that it is easy teraction with the module is straightforward and is done essen-
to use and does not add cognitive load. They also agreed that tially using sliders. This sort of interaction proved to be helpful
the use of a simulation module with a GUI is much better than since it stimulates the students, and it is found that the interac-
directly using Simulink blocks since it helps them to proceed tive tool provides a stronger motivation to learn than does the
quickly. Students agreed that its most valuable feature is the traditional use of Simulink blocks. Finally, extensive use of the
sliders provided as a means to explore the effects of varying module can give students an enhanced intuition and help to them
parameters on system behavior. The companion tutorial, with to gain better understanding of the qualitative aspects of servo
its guided exercises, is also considered important for the correct systems.
use of the module. In this aspect, students presumably limit their
instructional material to the tutorials designed by the teacher.
APPENDIX
The results from the question on whether the module is useful
for complementing lectures showed that students consider that
Models of DC Motor With Flexible Coupling
interactive tools represent a convenient way of enhancing
in-class sessions and bringing new dimensions to traditional In the case of an armature-controlled dc motor, the control
teaching methods. The majority considered that the tool pre- input is the armature voltage . The torque provided by the
sented constitutes a good complement for lectures, and many motor is proportional to the armature current , and the back
of them advocated extending the use of such modules to more emf is proportional to the motor’s velocity , by the following
topics and subjects. equations:
Concerning learning outcomes, students uniformly agreed
that the module allowed them to pay more attention to simula-
tion results rather than to designing Simulink diagrams. Some
students declared that the interactive feature of the module
activated their curiosity to discover its contents. As the interac- The electrical equation is
tion with the module is driven mainly by sliders, students can
explore the effects of a full range of parameters by adjusting
the values from low to high or vice versa. In this aspect, the
majority believed that this routine enables them to perceive where is the armature resistance and is the armature
clearly the qualitative aspects of servo systems. Finally, many winding leakage inductance.
ALIANE: A MATLAB/SIMULINK-BASED INTERACTIVE MODULE FOR SERVO SYSTEMS LEARNING 271
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REFERENCES
[1] D. S. Bernstein, “The Quanser DC motor control trainer,” IEEE Control Nourdine Aliane received the Electrical Engineering degree from the École
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2006. He is currently a Professor of Control Engineering and Robotics at the Univer-
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